Knitscene Winter 2018: A Review

Knitscene has released their Winter 2018 issue. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Lake Geneva Sweater. Plain but wearable. This one will require an interesting and/or beautiful to keep it from being too basic.

Shimla Sweater. I hated the "cold shoulder" look when it first came out, but I think I'm actually coming around on it. The other day I actually caught myself looking at a Vogue Pattern two-piece outfit design with shoulder cut-outs on their website and thinking, "Maybe this spring....?" I don't mind this sweater. It's actually quite fetching. I would however change the construction to get rid of that sleeve seam and to continue the ribbing all along the length of the sleeves. To accomplish this, I would knit the sleeves at the same time as I did the shoulders by casting on enough extra stitches for it.

Suncadia Sweater. Nice, and I like that contemporary block chain effect, but I would shorten the sleeves and make them a tapered, rather than a flared, cuff.

Great Falls Sweater. Nice piece with an attractive cable effect.

Seabrook Sweater. I like this sheer sweater, but styling it is going to be a bit tricky. I think the thing to do is wear an underlayer that's just slightly shorter than the sweater and to leave it untucked in order to avoid creating any horizontal lines underneath this piece, because all I see when I look at this photo is that distracting waistline colour change.

Meadowlark Garden Sweater. I like this tunic quite a lot on the whole, but I would definitely fix the mullet hem.

Benson Top. Not bad. I think I'd go with more interesting yarn or more interesting buttons, as this one could do with a little oomph.

Celadon Raglan. I rather like this one, though I think I'd like it better if the shoulder cut-outs were a little smaller.

Wiltshire Headband. Your basic headband.

Pocono Cocoon. I'm not entirely sure what this is, but I don't think I care for it. It looks like an unfortunate shawl-sweater hybrid.

Wiltshire Vest. Here we have a shawl with armholes. It has such a sloppy look.

Bricktown Hat. Standard cabled hat.

Ouray Pullover. Standard roomy bulky turtleneck.

Empire Bluff Cowl. This cowl really stands out visually. Nice work.

Millcroft Shawl. Love the crisp, attractive stripes on this shawl.

Willow Winds Hat. Nice little cabled cap.

Longwood Scarf. The snowflake-like detail on the end of this otherwise perfectly simple garter stitch scarf really turns it into something special.

Morehead Pullover. Not a bad tweedy-looking sweater. Though I believe I do detect a hint of mullet hem.

Black Forest Cowl. This little cowl has a rather sharp, contemporary appeal.

Black Forest Hat. I also very much like the hat version of the cowl above.

Knitscene Fall 2018: A Review

Knitscene has released its Fall 2018 issue. Let's have a look at it, shall we?

Frances Sweater. Not bad. Putting this open-centre cables on the sleeves gives the classic cabled sweater design a contemporary feel.

Felicity Sweater. Nice. I like the inclusion of a touch of lace in the cable pattern.

Greta Cardigan. Another nice modern twist on the cabled cardigan, but I would fix the mullet hem. Ain't nothing modern or cool about the mullet.

Lucy Sweater. I love the Art Deco vibe of the cabled device on this one, and the detailed cuffs, but I would fix the dropped shoulders.

Olivia Sweater. Quite smart and striking.

Suzy Cardigan. Really attractive and wearable, with an interesting bit of detail in the cable across the back. I'd consider making this one for myself.

Natalie Sweater. The designer has tried to introduce some asymmetry into this piece, but didn't achieve the counterbalance that asymmetry requires. With one sleeve cabled and the other plain, and all that cabled detail on the bottom two-third of the body, this one has a lop-sided, bottom heavy feel to it.

Eleanor Mittens. These are so big and clumsy-looking they look more like oven mitts than cold weather mittens.

Wendy Cowl. Nice. That's one graphically striking pattern.

Margot Top. Honestly, this one comes across like some stretched-out thrift shop number some editor decided to include (and even more inexplicably style over a prairie dress) because they hadn't met quota on the number of designs for this issue.

Cate Cardigan. This one has a cute, fun, young look to it. Nice shaping and play of colour.

Ingrid Vest. This one would be a useful top layer for fall. And a way to brighten up the wearer's day if you go with a bright colour like this one.

Agatha Shawl. Very cool stitchwork in this one. It's like an art print.

Beatrice Sweater. I like the lace insert concept, but not that the lace piece hangs below the hem of the body of the sweater. It looks like a mistake. I'd fix that so the sweater has an even hemline all the way around.

Helen Cowl. Some really attractive stitchwork in this, and I like the combination of turquoise and copper.

(There aren't, at least as of this writing, Ravelry pages for this cowl or the three others that follow it.) I like this one, which has the look of a seascape.

I like this one too, with its simple yet effective check stitch.

A garter stitch cowl isn't a bad way to showcase a self-striping yarn.

I like the combination of the teal, lime, and white colour scheme and the garter and stockinette stitchwork. They set each other off.

Claire Sweater. Some lovely yoke detailing on this one, and the shape is perfect.

Knitscene Summer 2018: A Review

Knitscene has released its Summer 2018 issue. Let's have a look at it.

Paca Bag. This is a nice-looking and well-constructed bag. I like the sturdy handle and the design's fresh take on a Peruvian bag aesthetic -- and check out those cute little alpaca motifs. I'd line it to help it keep its shape. As you can see, the bottom is sagging, and there probably isn't even anything in it.

Accented Socks. A smart-looking pair of socks.

Boardwalk Top. Quite like this one, which is polished, interesting, and wearable.

Coastal Dress. What I initially thought might be a bit of yellow in this dress's design was actually the model's bikini showing through it. This dress will make a cute beach cover-up but might not be so good for street wear due to its translucency. To be fair, the name and the styling indicate it's being positioned exactly that way.

Cube Socks. If Pablo Picasso had been a knitter, he might have knitted some fun socks just like these.

Driftwood Vest. I like the lacework in this piece, but the vest has a skimpy, extraneous look. It's not doing anything at all for the model's cute romper, and I can't quite imagine it adding anything much to any other outfit.

Escape Bag. I like the body of the bag, and I appreciate how well it's been lined and reinforced, but this style of strap, which we saw in the Puget Tote in last week's review of Knit.Wear Spring + Summer 2018, doesn't work with this bag -- the style, colour, and texture of the strap are all at odds with the bag. I can't see tote handles working either, given that drawstring top, so I'd turn this one into a backpack by adding straps and a top flap.

Jigsaw Top. Not bad. I can't help but feel there are better colourways for this top. That's not to say these colours don't work together, because they do, but a more subtle blend of colours could give the design more visual depth.

Pyrra Shawl. I like the combination of a traditional-style lace pattern and a contemporary-style stripe.

Ripple Tank. This isn't bad. I'm not a fan of dropped stitches or mullet hems, but both work fine here given that this tank is being used as a cover-up.

Sandbar Tank. This a fetching little piece. The tasselled ties at the shoulders are a nice touch. It's a young look, but then Knitscene is aimed at a young demographic. The bottom hem is ribbed, so this piece can be worn tucked in or left out.

Sandy Cardigan. This a nice airy cardigan that has a lovely lace pattern and that sits with the grace of a shawl.





Seashell Tank. The lacework on the front of this tank is FABULOUS, but I'm not so crazy about the back. I think I'd omit the lacing (and reshape the back accordingly), finish the back hem with the same edging as the front, and add a picot edging to the neckline and armholes.

Slide Pullover. Fresh and attractive colour blocking. It would be fun to pick out a colourway for this one.

Stacking Scarf. I kind of like the concept of this scarf, but can't help but feel it needed something other than a stretch of plain stockinette in the centre of it.





Tide Pool Top. This halter top design is spare and plain, but then it's supposed to be. It's really a perfect thing of its kind.

Tonquin Top. This is a nice-looking wrap, and it's reversible so the wearer won't have to struggle to keep it right side out.

Waves Tank. Another little beach coverup. I'd do something different with the edging on the neckline and armholes, as the neckline looks unfinished and the picot edging on the armholes looks a bit tatty. A simple rib would be fine. The lace on the hem is pretty.

Windows of Moss Stitch Socks. Quite like these. The moss stitch pattern and the simple contrast stripe and toe are all the detail these socks need, and the yarns chosen for this sample work together so well.